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Aust-led group wins NSW electricity lease

A consortium of Middle Eastern, Canadian and Australian investors is set to become the biggest player in the NSW electricity network after winning the lease of the first "poles and wires" business put up for sale in the state.

The NSW Electricity Networks group, which will be led by Australian infrastructure fund Hastings, secured the 99-year TransGrid lease for $10.258 billion, the NSW government announced on Wednesday.

The sale is expected to net the government $7 billion after $3 billion of debt owed to business is paid off.

Premier Mike Baird said the record windfall was a "stunning result" for the state, with proceeds going towards infrastructure promised at the March election.

He also emphasised that the consortium would be Australian-led despite foreign investors making up 65 per cent of the group.

"We welcome foreign investment ... what this bid represents is the United Nations," he said.

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The transaction process had sparked security concerns about foreign investment after Chinese-government owned State Grid was touted as the lead bidder.

TransGrid owns the state's electricity grid and fibre optic cable networks in NSW and the ACT, and services some defence bases.

Treasurer Scott Morrison, who last week blocked the sale of Australia's largest private landowner to a Chinese buyer, said a number of strict safeguards had been imposed on the consortium, including that TransGrid's operation and control be undertaken solely from Australia.

"I am confident that these comprehensive safeguards address national interest considerations," he said in a statement.